Sportfish Express Goes Down After Fire in Clear Lake

A ten meter express sportfish with three persons onboard sank after it developed a small fire in Clear Lake, Kemah, Texas, on the morning of Sunday 24th March.  The three boaters where assisted and taken to safety by League City Police Department, with the Police also putting the fire off.  Unfortunately after this the boat started taking on water, probably from a gap in the exhaust outlet and sank.  According to unconfirmed reports the boat went ablaze after the engine ran dry, setting its exhaust on fire, with this ultimately leading to it's sinking.  TowboatU.S Clear Lake is working on a salvage of the express sportfish cruiser.

The sportfish express in this sinking is a Luhrs 32 Open model as produced from 1994 to 2008, renamed as the 320 onwards from 2000.  The 32 Open shared hull with the 32 Convertible  produced from 1988 to 99, and was replaced by the 30 Open in 2004.  Luhrs was founded in 1949, becoming a successful name in medium size sportfish cruisers, with the company going bankrupt in 2012.  Since then a reborn has been promised, which so far has not materialized.

Marina Fire at Pra, Genoa Burns Nine Boats

A fire in Pra, to the West side of Genoa, Italy just after 03:00 hours on the morning of Tuesday nineteen March burned and destroyed nine boats and damaged a further four of seven to eleven meters in size.  Guardia Costiera and Vigili del Fuoco responded to the fire with one person also being assisted by the 118 emergency medical team, being stuck on one of the boats in the raging fire, and reported as escaping with minor injuries.  Nine boats sank in this fire, while a remaining four are still floating, with the marina pontoon also receiving damage.  The Genoa Port Master advised the boat owners and marina owner to recover the boats and salvage the area, with a pollution boon being placed and cleaning operations starting on the early hours of the morning.  At this stage it is not understood how and where the fire started.

Most of the boats in this fire seems to be small runabout outboard powered center consoles of about seven meters in length, although in one of the photos there is a sport cruiser of about nine meters in length, looking to be a Bayliner 320/335 SB as produced from 2008 to 12.

Pra is located on the further West side of Genoa's large harbor which spans seven and a half nautical miles and ends to the East, at the Marina Fiera di Genova, where the World famous Genova Boat Show is held every fall since 1962.   There is 25 pontoons in Pra, with eight small boat yards, mostly serving small to medium sized boats from five to about fifteen meters.

Three Boats Destroyed by Fire in Piombino

Three boats where destroyed by fire at the Marina Archipelago Toscano in Piombino, to the South of Livorno, with the blaze starting at 0830 on the morning of first February. The fire is reported to have started in the middle motorboat and then jumped to a flybridge cruiser on its starboard side, and a sailing yacht on its port side. Fire fighters and the local coast guard office rushed to the scene, controlling the blaze first, so it does not jump to other boats, and then turning it off. No one was injured as the boats where all reported unattended, although all three boats are fully burned and a wreck.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The boats in this fire are a Zuccon designed 1993 to 97 produced Ferretti 120 Fly to left of the photo, with the sailing yacht to right being a Feeling.  So far I cannot picture the boat in the middle, which looks to be Italian made and from the eighties.

Larnaca Marina Fire Totals Two Boats Damages Another

A fire which started on a flybridge cruiser of about thirteen meters in length at Larnaca Marina in Cyprus, at 13:26 hours of 21 December has totalled two boats, and damaged another.  Reports say the fire started on a thirteen meter flybridge cruiser, which then with the strong winds jumped to a sport cruiser of similar size to its starboard side, and while on fire also damaged a power catamaran on its port side.  The first two cruisers where towed outside the marina, while the power catamaran received important fire damage on its starboard side.  Larnaca Fire Station responded with two fire fighting vehicles, taking about about an hour to control the blaze, with the two cruisers being towed outside the marina already half burned, after which they sank from the flames and rough sea conditions of the day.  No one was injured in the fire, as the boats where reported unattended, with the cause of the blaze being under investigation.

The three boats in this fire are the Garroni designed Jeanneau Prestige 46 produced from 2003 to 2011, a Pershing 43 as designed by Fulvio de Simoni and produced from 2001 to 04, and a Leopard 39 Powercat as produced from 2012 to 22.  The boat ownerships are reported to be two of Cypriots and one of a Ukrainian national.

Baywood Marina Boat Fire

An unattended ten meters sports cruiser went ablaze at Baywood Marina in Brick, New Jersey at 04:46 hours of Thursday seventh December.  Jersey Shore Fire Response and Pioneer Hose Volunteer Fire Company responded to the blaze, while East Dover Fire Company came to the scene with Fire Boat 28 from the water.  It took over an hour to extinguish the fire with no damage to other boats and property being sustained thanks also to the quick response of the fire fighting crew.  The boat was later removed and towed away from the dock, with the cause of the fire being under investigation.

The sport cruiser in this fire is a Wellcraft 3200 Martinique, produced from 1994 to 2000.  The 3200 Martinique sleeps six in a typical North American express-sport cruiser open layout, and was powered by twin stern drives or V-drive line shafts for speeds up to the mid thirty knots.  The 3200 Martinique came as a replacement to the 3200 St.Tropez and was replaced by the 3300 Martinique in 2000.

Fairline Squadron Burns Down in Swansea Marina

A thirteen meter Fairline flybridge cruiser went ablaze while berthed at Swansea Marina, to the Southwest of Wales at 17:52 hours of Sunday nineteen November.  Five fire fighting crews from Swansea Central, Swansea West, Morriston, Gorseinon and Llanelli responded to the fire, taking about an hour to control and two hours to extinguish.  No one was injured in the fire, with the causes of the blaze reported as accidental, with the flybridge cruiser ending half sank, and her flybridge deck burned out.  A fire involving two small boats happened in the same Marina on the end of May of this year.

The Fairline in this fire is a 43 Squadron, a flybridge cruiser designed by Bernard Olesinski and produced from 1994 to 97.  Available in two or three cabins layout the 43 was the entry level Squadron, Fairline's flagship flybridge range which in that time arrived up to 65 foot.  The 43 Squadron came as a replacement of the 43 and was replaced by the Phantom 46 in 1999.

Fire Burns Five Boats in La Paz Mexico

A fire which broke out the early morning of second November burned down and sank five yachts from eleven to 32 meters at Marina Palmira, in La Paz, Mexico.  The fire is reported to have started on a seventeen meters Azimut yacht, which then moved to the other four burned out boats, and damaged at least five more.  Tim Prouty gave an account of the accident on the Latitude38 website, when he saw the first seventeen meters flybridge yacht starting to burn on its stern port side at about 03:00 hours early morning time.  With a soft breeze blowing starboard to port the fire eventually jumped to the next boat, then the other, until five boats totally burned down and sank, including of which, and last to get the fire a 32 meter Hatteras super yacht.  Fire fighting crew response came at about 03:30 but an hour later to this the fire had already engulfed the five boats and yacht which burned down and sank.  

The yachts in this fire are an Azimut 58 Full a model produced from 1998 to 2002, the one that looks to have started the blaze, followed by what look to be two Riviera models, and then jumping to another Azimut 43S.  The Hatteras super yacht which burned was a 2019 100 RPH m/y Optimus and hull number five, which was also the last build of this Enrico Gobbi designed series which debuted in 2013.

Two Yachts Burn Down in Pasadena Marina Florida

A fire in Pasadena Yacht and Country Club located in Boca Ciega Bay, southwest of Gulfport Boulevard, Florida which started after about 16:00 hours of Wednesday fourth October totalled and sank two boats and damaged two more.  The fire started on a thirteen meter flybridge cruiser, which then jumped to the starboard side on a sixteen meters sportfish yacht.  The flybridge cruiser which ignited the fire was totally burned down to the waterline and sank with the fire, while the sportfish yacht to starboard also received extensive damage and partly sank later on.  Another seventeen meter sportfish yacht to port side of the fire starting flybridge cruiser also had fire burning damage, with some minor damage also hitting a same sized sportfish yacht located to starboard a slip away from the fire starting boat.  Gulfport Police Department dispatched officers, emergency crews, and fire fighters to the scene around 17:00 hours.  The cause of the fire is reported as starting from the battery compartment of the thirteen meter flybridge cruiser.  No one was injured in the fire although damages are reported to be about 1.3 million US dollars.

Pasadena Yacht and Country Club was also involved in a fire on 03:00 hours of eighteen December 2020.  We did not report that fire back then as I found nearly zero information apart a photo of three empty slips damaged by fire.

The boat which started the fire is a Meridian 441 Sedan produced from 2003 to 2008, a model sold over three hundred hulls and was one of the biggest successes of the Brunswick incorporated and owned 2003 to 2016 brand.  The other sportfish yacht which burned down and sank is a Viking 52 Convertible, a model produced from 2002 to 09, with the boat to port side of the starting boat, also being a Viking, but the 55 Convertible from 1998 to 2003.  The further boat to starboard is another Viking but a 56 Convertible which was produced from 2004 to 2010.

Thirty Boats Burn Down in Nautica Feltrinelli

A fire which started in the early 02:40 hours of Saturday 26th August at Nautica Feltrinelli in via della Libera Gargnano, Brescia burned about thirty boats. The fire started in a semi-basement boat storage facility of the boat yard, with the alarm and automatic fire extinguishing system igniting to the flames, and three squads of fire fighting squads arriving immediately on the scene.  It was also reported that at ongoing fire one of the Feltrinelli's saved a few of the boats by towing them away.  According to the initial investigation the fire was ignited by a short circuit on one of the boats.

Feltrinelli boating history goes back in time to 1639 with Pietro a family of boat builders in Gargnano on the Garda lake.  The current set up was started by Egidio Feltrinelli in 1919, a returned American migrant in Gargnano who starts building fast racing boats, with the yard becoming a boat storage and repair centre in 1963 by Fausto.  Today Nautica Feltrinelli is guided by Dino, and is Frauscher Italy's dealer since 2003.

Classic Boat Fire in Ostia, Rome

A nine meter classic sport cruiser with one person onboard went ablaze in between Fiumicino and Ostia, on 18:30 hours of Saturday nineteen August.  The one person onboard after jumping off the boat in the sea was saved by the Fiumiara river police, and at a later stage a fire fighting squad came to the scene with two boats assisted by the Guardia Costiera, turning off the fire before 20:00 hours, but after this the boat sank.  No pollution was made with the fuel tank being recovered, and the boat refloated a day later.  

The classic boat in this fire is a Zarcos 9/m Sport designed by Renato Sonny Levi for hull and exterior by Franco Harrauer and produced in the early to mid seventies.  The 9/m Sport was an evolution of the 8/m and C.V. 500 models.  

Zarcos acronym for Scorza, the surname of the boat builder owner debuted in around 1967 trusting its production to Levi's design, and the pioneering lamellar construction, glued wood at an acute angle to form a solid strong laminate.  Zarcos became popular in the seventies and in that decade also expanded from the first seven meters of the sixties up to a 21 meter flagship which debuted in 1976.  Zarcos is believed to having closed in the early eighties, with the 13/m and 15/m VIP models becoming popular beyond there production run.

Lobsterman Saves Two Persons from Boat Fire

A lobsterman fisherman saved two boaters from a fourteen meter traditional inspired cruiser titled m/y Titan which went ablaze, some nautical miles off Sequin Island, in the coast of Georgetown, Maine on the late morning of Saturday nineteen August.  It took about an hour for the coast guard rescue vessel to arrive in the scene, and with the tender also burned, if it was not for the several lobsterman which answered the call we might be looking for two persons in the water.  The traditional lobster cruiser totally burned down in less to an hour, and sank in about sixty meters of water.  One of the two man suffered some minor burning injuries, with both men taken back to the dock.  The Coast Guard said it will inspect the scene and try to find what caused the boat fire. 

M/y Titan the traditional lobster boat inspired cruiser in this fire is a Sabre Salon Express 48.  The Salon Express 48 offeres a two large cabins lower deck layout and is powered by Cummins or Volvo 550hp and or 600hp with pod drives for speeds up to 37 knots with the large engine option.  The Sabre 48 was also added with a Fly Bridge version in 2016.

Sport Cruiser Burns in Capri

A sport cruiser of about eight meters in length with one person onboard went ablaze, while berthed in Capri's Marina Piccola, at 15:45 of Saturday nineteen August.  The person onboard the sport cruiser was reported to be a mechanic, working on an engine when fire started to come out from under the dash in the helm station.  Immediate the response of Capri's Marina Piccola berth assistance personnel, who first unmoored the sport cruiser, and towed her away to open sea where she burned down and sank.  A fire fighting squad also assisted in the boat fire, with a medical team coming to help the injured with burns mechanic who was taken to hospital for observation.

The sport cruiser in this fire is a Chapparal 290 Signature produced from 2004 to 09.  The 290 Signature offered an open layout interior sleeping six and was powered by twin 190 up to 270hp gas, or twin 200hp diesel engines with stern drives.  The 290 Signature evolved from the 280 with a different stern and tad longer bathing platform, becoming a second generation 290 with upper port holes and other minor design changes in 2010.

Sixteen People Injured in Millstone Marina Boat Explosion

A ten meter sport cruiser injured sixteen persons while finishing refuelling at the Millstone Marine in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri on 16:30 of Friday eleven August.  Three of the persons onboard where ejected with the explosion.  Eleven of the injured persons including a six year old child had mild injuries, and were treated on the scene and released, with the other five taken to the hospital for treatment to moderate injuries.  The boat exploded when the operator of the sport cruiser went to ignite the engine.  Missouri State Highway Patrol assisted the accident and from the initial investigation are saying the boat exploded with gas build up in its engine room.

The sport cruiser in this explosion is a Trojan 360 produced from 1999 to 2001 to a design of Fulvio de Simoni.  The 360 Express offered a two cabins interior and was powered by 320hp gas or Cat 306hp diesel engines on V-drive line shaft.  The Trojan 360 came out as a replacement to 1995 to 88 350 with a renewed cockpit design and bit larger bathing platform. Trojan stopped producing boats in 2002.

Hawaii Firestorm

On the eight August the Hawaii Firestorm reached the Lahaina Small boat harbour, devastating most of the 99 boats in the marina with only thirteen boats and there fortunate pier escaping the fire.  The Hawaii Firestorm formed in early August, predominantly reaching Maui, and doing extensive damage to the North West coast and the coastal town of Lahaina, killing 98 persons with 31 people still missing.  The Hawaii Firestorm was contained on the eleventh August, destroying about 2200 buildings in Lahaina alone, and causing over six billion US dollars in three days.  The Hawaii Firestorm was formed by dry gusty conditions created by a strong high pressure to the North of Hawaii and Hurricane Dora to the South.

Lahiana small boat harbour is located to the North-West of the Island of Maui, to the North of Hawaii and second in size of the Hawaii Island archipelago; which features eight major volcanic islands and thirteen minor islets on the North Pacific Ocean spread in 1,200 nautical miles.  Previously called Sandwich Islands. the Hawaii Islands are a state of the United States of America with a distance of just over 1,700 nautical miles from the closest harbour in California.

Sydney Marina Fire Burns Three Boats

A fire at Holmeport Church Point Marina in Sydney, on about 05:00 hours in the morning of Thursday Tenth August burned down three boats. Six trucks, 22 fire fighters, and two boats fighted the fire till about 10:00 local time when it was extinguished.  The case at some point was also getting dramatic with one of the boats engulfed in the flames, drifting in the gulf around the marina.  No one was injured in the fire, with a pollution protected boon being made around the wrecks of the three boats.  The fire also involved minor burning damages to two other boats with the combined damage to the boats and marina being estimated at around three million Australian dollars.  

The three burned boats in this fire are a Cruisers 350 Express, a recently delivered Integrity Euro Trawler 440, and a Tiara 5200 Sovran. Holmeport Church Point Marina in Sydney opened its doors in 2004 when the old floating wharf was replaced by a floating concrete pontoon, with the marina expanding again in 2019 with the new C-wharf, today offering two hundred berths from ten to thirty meters in size.

Boat Saved from Near Fire in Procida

A thirteen meter flybridge cruiser with two persons onboard had a chance of fire in Procida Island, near the islet of Vivara on the afternoon of ninth August.  This was actually not a fire but one of the engines of the flybridge cruiser which went in auto-combustion mode, meaning the engine starts to burn its oil as fuel and does not stop and cannot be stopped from running.  Immediate the response of the Italian Guardia Costiera, which saved the two boaters from the boat. Although fair to say, more a case of an unstoppable engine rather then a real boat fire.  

The flybridge cruiser in this near fire is a Fairline 41 produced from 1990 up to 94 named as 43 in the last two years of production.  Designed as all Fairline's of that time by Bernard Olesinski, the 41/43 offered a two double cabins layout, and was powered by twin Volvo 430 or Cats 375 or 425hp engines on shaft drives.  The 41/43 was replaced by the Squadron 43 in 1994.

Azimut Yacht Burns and Sinks in Otok Zut Croatia

A seventeen meter Azimut 55 with no persons onboard went ablaze near the island of Otok Zut, in the Kornati archipelago, Croatia on the early evening of Sunday sixth August.  No one was onboard the Azimut yacht at the moment of the fire, although the owners where reported to be nearby the yacht.  Local fire fighters rushed to the scene and towed the yacht outside the bay and then let it sink in the depths of the sea.  Nearby boaters reported as seeing the fire starting from the main deck of the yacht.

The yacht in this fire is the popular Azimut 55 Evo, released in 2005 and produced till 2009 to a design of Stefano Righini and interiors by Carlo Galeazzi.  A soft evolution of the standard 55 presented the fall of 2000 main differences in interior woods, and midships cabin windows.  The Azimut 55 was a top seller in its class, selling in over three hundred units in an eight year production run, the success coming for its unique at the time full beam midships stateroom layout.  The 55 was a replacement to the 58 Full and was replaced by the Azimut 58 in 2009.

Two Boats Catch Fire in Portsmouth Virginia Marina

On 07:55 morning of Sunday sixth August Portsmouth Emergency received a call for a boat fire at Tidewater Yacht Marina.  Fire fighters came to the marina finding two boats tied to the dock ablaze, an unattended twelve meters in size aft-cabin cruiser which started the fire, and a house boat of eleven meter which is a liveaboard for a family of five persons including of which is three kids.  It will take about two hours to control the fire, and a hero foster rescue dog to save the family of five and out of harms way, who alerted the liveaboards before it was to late.  Thanks to the dog alert no injuries where sustained, and thanks to the quick action of Portsmouth fire crew, only the two boats where damaged in the fire.

The boat which started this fire looks to be a Trojan 12 Meter Motor Yacht which was produced in the mid to early nineties to a design of Harry Schoell.  The 12 Meter Motor Yacht offered a two double cabin interior and powered by twin Detroit 450hp diesels offered speeds till the mid twenties.  Trojan never replaced the 12 Meter Motor Yacht with the model evolving and becoming the Silverton 392 Motor Yacht in the late nineties.

Bayliner Cabin Cruiser Destroyed by Fire in Cardiff

An eight meter Bayliner cabin cruiser titled m/y Snow White with three persons onboard was destroyed by a fire which developed on 12:22 hours of Saturday fifth August at Pont Y Werin, Cardiff, Wales.  South Wales Fire and Rescue Service from Penarth and Cardiff Central stations responded to the fire.  CCTV of the marina shows the fire develop, with the boat exploding and developing a smoke, at this stage a man is seen jumping out and securing the boat to the pontoon.  Thirty seconds later two woman jump out of the boat and run down the quay, some half-a-minute later to this the flames are seen coming out of the deck with the boat totally destroyed at 14:03 hours.  No one was injured from the fire, with the cases of the blaze not being reported.  

The Bayliner in this fire is a late nineties produced 2855 Ciera Sunbridge.  Produced from 1991 to 2000 the 2855 Ciera Sunbridge came out as a replacement to the 2850, and was replaced by the 285 SB Cruiser in 2000.  A long production model, the 2850 featured modification to its cabin layout and soft styling update to its radar arch and windshield in 1993.

Yacht Fire in La Paz Mexico Kills One Person, Injures Three

A fire onboard a 23 meter motor yacht at Puerta Cortes Tourist Complex, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico on 07:00 hours of Monday 24th July killed one person and injured three more, with the fire also jumping and partially burning another smaller fourteen meter Grand Banks explorer cruiser.  The fire was reported starting in the engine room of the 23 meter motor yacht, as crew where doing some work.  Three teams where dispatched to control the fire; Heroic La Paz Fire Department, La Paz Municipal Traffic and Security Directorate, and Municipal Civil Protection.  The person which was identified dead on the scene ended trapped in the engine room with the fire, while three more persons had injuries with a 37 year old also suffering extensive third grade burns.  The big 23 meter yacht eventually burned totally and became a total loss, while the smaller fourteen meter had its fire controlled, although it also received extensive damage to its bow area.

The 23 meter motor yacht in this fire is a Numarine 78 Flybridge as produced from 2008 to 2017 designed by Can Yalman and Tommaso Spadolini.  The smaller explorer cruiser is a Grand Banks 49 Classic as produced from 1980 to 99, with over 120 units sold.